So on the eve of the government shutdown (since averted) I was in search of some carbs to ease my anxiety. Confession: I just love cupcakes. I've eaten nearly every kind of cupcake in town and I've got some favorites, but while strolling through Union Station I happened upon a crowded bakery stand aptly called Crumbs.
The cupcake selection was irresistible -- like bobbles in a Tiffany & Co. glass display case, these cupcake's are so beautiful they should have armed security guarding them. The line was akin to what one might find at Ben's Chili Bowl on a Saturday afternoon -- crazy crowded. The wait? Absolutely worth it. I tasted the best version of a red velvet cupcake I've ever tasted -- anywhere, and that's saying something from a person with southern roots.
It was moist and sweet with more than a hint of chocolate, the icing so rich and satisfying you could eat the icing alone as an entire meal. There really is no dainty way to eat a cupcake from Crumbs. They're super-sized and though you should go slowly, you might be overwhelmed with the desire to put the entire cupcake into your mouth at once. I tried.
Crumbs, the brainchild of lawyer turned baker Mia Bauer and Jason Bauer , the first bake shop opened in 2003 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Dozens of shops later including one at Union Station in Washington, DC -- Crumbs Colossal Cupcakes are the latest reason for celebration in the Nation's Capital.
Cupcake flavors are too numerous to name here but the Cupcake of the month in this city is "Cherry Blossom." Other flavors include Red Velvet, Caramel, Peanut Butter and Carrot Cake.
